PayScale’s VIP Blog Roundup: What to Ask Instead of ‘What Do You Do?’

What’s the worst part about networking? All the horrifyingly dull questions you have to ask and answer, in order to establish new relationships with your fellow humans. But, there’s no law that says we have to stick to the same old, same old. Mixing things up might actually get some better answers, build stronger connections, and bore everyone a lot less. In this week’s roundup, we look at 27 questions to ask instead of “What do you do?,” plus the housekeeping questions you must ask at your next job interview, and the best ways to get motivated when you’re feeling uninspired.

It’s hard to keep tabs on the details when you’re nervous, and there’s no more nerve-wracking process than job-searching. It’s no wonder that many of us stumble out of the office where we just had our job interview, loosen our tie or our belt, and realize that we have:

“The answers to these questions can give you an idea not only of how their process works, but also how urgently they want to fill the job,” she writes. “And, quite possibly, how interested they are in hiring you.”

What do you do when you don’t feel like doing anything at all? Leadership coach Alli Polin suggests several ways to salvage the day, including my personal favorite, productive procrastination:

“Do something small that needs to get done. I pulled together a pile of laundry and threw it in the wash. Not working on my business but productive nonetheless,” she says. “Clothes in, dishes put away, grocery shopping done, I sat back down in the chair. Still didn’t feel motivated to rock and roll on my real work for the day but felt satisfied that I’d made progress in other areas.”

Sometimes, you have to be willing to count the little things. Read Polin’s other suggestions, here.

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